FORT WAYNE, Ind.—Middle school Mathletes® from area schools will compete in the chapter competition of the MATHCOUNTS® Competition Series on Saturday, February 15, from 8:30 a.m. to noon in the Walb Union Ballroom on the Indiana University–Purdue University Fort Wayne (IPFW) campus. The competition has been organized by the IPFW Department of Mathematical Sciences and College of Engineering, Technology, and Computer Science.

A total of seven schools and approximately 50 students will compete. Schools represented are:

Canterbury Middle School, Fort Wayne

Churubusco Junior High School, Churubusco

Edgewood Middle School, Warsaw

Maple Creek Middle School, Fort Wayne

Saint Jude Catholic School, Fort Wayne

Summit Middle School, Fort Wayne

Woodside Middle School, Fort Wayne

Teachers and students have been preparing for the competition since the fall. Students will compete individually and as teams in written and fast-paced oral matches. Subjects include algebra, probability, statistics, and geometry. Winners will receive awards and advance to the state MATHCOUNTS finals, to be held at Rose-Hulman in Terre Haute on Saturday, March 15.

MATHCOUNTS is a national program designed to improve math skills among U.S. students. The program focuses on middle school students, who are at a crucial stage in developing and sustaining math interest and ability. Students who do not begin developing strong problem-solving, logical thinking, and analytical abilities in middle school face an uphill battle later in life if they wish to pursue a medical, scientific, mathematical, engineering, or technical career.

The 2014 MATHCOUNTS competition series will consist of approximately 40,000 students, representing more than 5,500 schools from all 50 states, the District of Columbia, U.S. territories, and Department of Defense and State Department affiliated schools. Local northeast Indiana sponsors include Raytheon.

The National Sponsors of MATHCOUNTS are Raytheon Company, Northrop Grumman Foundation, U.S. Department of Defense, National Society of Professional Engineers, CNA Foundation, Phillips 66, Texas Instruments Incorporated, 3M Foundation, Art of Problem Solving, and NextThought. MATHCOUNTS was founded by the National Society of Professional Engineers, National Council of Teachers of Mathematics, and CNA Foundation.